December's Quartet
by Takumi the Tank Engine
Summary: As the year draws to a close, Ophelia decides it's time for a double date. Hisame has his doubts, but not about the date itself. (Hisame/Ophelia and Shiro/Nina)


"What a perfect evening." Ophelia mused aloud, staring up at the night sky from her place on a small, grassy hill.

Beside her, lay her boyfriend-of-two months; Hisame, who turned on his side to look at her. "Just 'perfect?' Not "positively radiant" or anything? With an 'unmatched aura of magnificence'?"

Ophelia shook her head. "'Perfect' is the only word that can describe such an evening as this. The sky is clear and crisp, the stars' glow with unmatched luminescence, the air is just cool enough to chill the skin, but not so much so that one must bundle up. And here I am; Ophelia Dusk, beneath the celestial lights in the sky, with my beloved, being watched over by only the gods."

"I see… That's more like it." Hisame smiled as he laid back down on the grass.

The two lay in the prickly, cool grass as the stars twinkled into view. Perhaps Ophelia was rubbing off on him in a way, but the nights he spent with Ophelia always seemed "enchanting", and that was the only word he could think of to describe it. No doubt his love could think of a much better word, but that was the word that always stuck in his mind when he was with her. "Enchanting."

Ophelia moved closer, to the point Hisame could feel the warmth radiating from her. "Will you be alright at the festival tomorrow?"

Hisame thought for a bit. "The double date with Nina and Prince Shiro?" He tried to manage a reassuring smile. Truth be told, he was a bit nervous. The two had never really gone on a date with other people. Nevertheless, he couldn't disappoint Ophelia. "I'll be fine, Ophelia. Trust me."

Ophelia gave a nervous grin, still not completely reassured. "Are you positive? I don't wish for this to be a burden upon you."

Hisame looked Ophelia in the eye. Though she smiled, the concern on her face was plain to see. He hoped he could erase some of that doubt. "It won't be a burden. I promise you."

A bit of the concern left Ophelia's face. "Okay… But if it ever gets to be too much, please let me know."

"I will. I promise."

Ophelia took a reassured breath and lay back down in the grass, staring back up into the night sky.

Hisame sighed. He deeply hoped it would all go smoothly, but he couldn't help but think of all the ways it could go wrong. Still, if he was with Ophelia, nothing could go too badly…

...right?

XXX

The next morning, Hisame found himself in the middle of the fort, checking out the set up for the festival. The clouds had rolled in, and the slight chill from the night before had turned the entire air cold. Most everyone had donned their winter clothing. "Hey! Hisame!" Hisame glanced up and saw Lady Corrin's daughter, Princess Soleil balancing on a ladder, attempting to put up a banner. "Is it straight?"

Hisame studied the banner, noting Soleil's side was lower than the other side. "You need to pull it up a couple centimeters."

Soleil followed Hisame's suggestion and raised the banner up a bit. "How's that?"

He examined the banner again, and nodded. "It looks good."

The Hoshido Royal leapt off the ladder and landed on her feet in an incredible show of acrobatics. She grabbed her jacket off one of the steps of the ladder and slipped back into it and gave him a friendly wink, "Thanks, Hisame. Couldn't seem to quite get it right."

"No problem."

"Sooooo…" Soleil began, her lips curling into an almost cat-like grin, "You ready for tonight?"

Hisame managed a nod, thinking back to Ophelia's concern. "Y-yes, it should be an enjoyable experience."

"I know, right?!" Soleil said with enough enthusiasm to make Selkie look like Dwyer. "Oh man. I've been to festivals before, but this looks like it'll be WAY better than all of those combined!"

"Well, um, I'm glad you're excited." Hisame bit his lip. He'd heard the girl was enthusiastic from multiple sources, but they somehow seemed subdued compared to the real thing. Soleil wasn't normally the kind of girl he'd hang around, but she was Ophelia's friend, and her happiness was the most important thing to him. "It should be quite enjoyable."

"I know, right? The games, the food, getting to stay up real late, the FIREWORKS! It's gonna be a blast!"

' _This girl's practically a human firework, herself.'_ Hisame thought to himself, "Well, um, if you'll excuse me. I'd better be getting ready for tonight."

"Oh yeah! Me too! Gotta wear a super cute winter dress and everything! But...listen." Soleil's smile dropped completely, and her brow furrowed, "I'll be keeping my eye on you tonight. I don't want you messin' with her or anything, got it?"

' _Look who's talking.'_ Hisame wished he could say, but in reality all he managed was a swallow and a timid, "Yes, milady."

Soleil's lips formed a more mischievous, cat-like smile. "Good! Anyway, see ya tonight!" With that, she dashed off into the festival grounds, leaving Hisame to be alone with his thoughts.

While the possibility of hurting Ophelia was unthinkable for Hisame, he did understand Soleil's position of protectiveness. Ophelia's innocence and purity were far too beautiful for a world torn asunder by war and poverty to understand. However, proving his intentions to Soleil would be a simple enough matter.

...and yet he found himself scared to death, his heart beating like a drum and his mouth quickly growing dry. Soleil was a far more intimidating person than he'd possibly imagined.

"Ugh, are you _really_ letting her scare you?"

Hisame nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden voice. He turned around to see a familiar form standing a short distance behind him. At first, he thought it was Ophelia, it even looked like her. But as he got closer, he soon realized it most definitely was _not_ Ophelia.

Upon further inspection, she was just a few inches shorter than Ophelia, and looked a good year or two younger. Her eyes were narrowed, as if the hope and optimism within Ophelia's own had been completely extinguished. Her annoyed expression was plain to see, despite the purple veil obscuring her mouth. She remained in her ornate, yet sheer, sorceress uniform, despite such a cold that even Hisame felt a chill within is large coat. Her name, was Nyx. She was Ophelia's mother.

Hisame cleared his scratchy throat, trying not to feel too intimidated by the woman. "It's nice to see you, Mrs. Nyx."

Her narrow eyes narrowed further, staring ice daggers into Hisame's very soul. "Spare the pleasantries, Hisame, and answer my question. Are you truly afraid of Soleil?"

He glanced away, then back at her. "A...bit, I must confess." Hisame admitted. It was no use lying to Nyx.

Nyx walked over to Hisame, so close he could see the markings behind her veil. She looked him straight in the eye, her gaze not dulling. "Are you an idiot?"

Hisame had the clearest throat in the world by this point, "Wh-what do you mean?"

Nyx sighed, her gaze ever so slightly softened. "If you had any malicious intent for my daughter, you wouldn't even be standing here right now."

The thought made Hisame swallow, but he understood what she meant.

The older woman continued, "You have my trust, and that is worth far more than Soleil's. Understood?"

Hisame nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Nyx's lips formed a small, half-grin, more akin to a smirk. "Good." She was about to start off, before turning back to Hisame, "And if Soleil happens to make trouble for _either_ of you, know that she will have me to answer to."

The young samurai couldn't help but smile. "Let's hope for her sake it won't come to that."

Nyx nodded, "Indeed."

XXX

"Ughhhhhh, where *sniffle* is he? " Nina demanded, watching over the entrance to the festival like a hawk. The flood of people that had been arriving had trickled down to an inconsistent sprinkle. "He's gonna owe me the-" she sniffled, "biggest hot chocolate this whole shindig... has if he doesn't get here in the next ten seconds."

"I'm sure he'll get here soon, Nina." Hisame said, while handing the girl a handkerchief.

"I believe so, as well." Ophelia nodded, though even she seemed doubtful. "Perhaps he's simply...lost, or something?"

Nina rubbed her forehead, sniffling, "I wouldn't put it past him." She stroked her chin for a bit, deep in thought. "Or…" Nina's eyes widened, and her cheeks turned as red as her nose. "Maybe he ran into Prince Siegbert for a little rendezvous?"

"Hey there!" Shiro greeted in his usual casual, unassuming manner, wearing a rather warm-looking purple kimono and completely debunking Nina's theory.

Nina shot a glare towards the prince, though she couldn't hide the red from her nose spreading to her cheeks. "About time!"

Shiro rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah… Sorry about that. Turns out these things are a lot harder to put on than I thought."

Nina bit her lip, trying her hardest to look angry with him and failing horribly. "Y-you better not," she sniffled, "do this again. Got it?"

Shiro flashed her a bright smile, putting an arm around her, "Absolutely! Now, how 'bout we go get something to eat, eh?"

"Just hot chocolate," Nina said, bluntly, "Biggest one they got."

The four started to make their way to the booth selling hot chocolate, which Nina knew was close to the entrance, however… "Whoah!" Shiro exclaimed, "That's one of the longest lines I've ever seen!" It was true. The line was so long it reached well past the entrance and very well nearly reached the hot springs. It seemed there were fewer people out of line than in line.

"There's always the apple cider booth." Hisame suggested.

Nina cleared her throat, "Um… I'll pass on that. *snort* Thanks."

"Yeah," Shiro concurred, "Nothin' with apples for either of us."

Hisame scratched his head. Were they allergic to apples? He looked to Ophelia for answers, but she instead opted to whisper in his ear. "I'm not entirely sure, myself, but I believe it has to do with her days as a thief."

"Oh… I see…" Hisame nodded, though he wasn't entirely sure what could have led a thief to dislike apples so strongly.

Nina sighed, "This hot chocolate must be really darn good if there's so many people."

"It better be. Only the best for you, Nina."

Nina gave him a small punch, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "G-gods, Shiro! H-how che-chee… _A-choo!_ ...corny can you get?"

Shiro furrowed his brow. "What? What was corny?"

"Urgh, never mind." Nina grumbled.

To his side, he could hear Ophelia giggling up a storm, attempting to muffle the sound with her hand. "They're so, so cute together!"

Hisame raised an eyebrow. Shiro and Nina? "Nina's spent almost all night getting angry with him!" he pointed out as quietly as possible.

Ophelia giggled some more, "I know? Isn't it...heehee… so wonderful?" Her giggling fit seemed to subside as she explained, "Nina can barely manage complete sentences around most members of the opposite gender. Seeing her so comfortable around Shiro to get angry at him is… It's just so cute!"

Hisame cocked his head to one side. He supposed he could get what she meant, maybe, but he still felt bad for Shiro.

As the line continued to move at a pace which would make a snail look fast by comparison, and Nina and Shiro continued to argue. Hisame couldn't help but shake an odd feeling on the back of his neck, as if he were being observed. But whenever he checked behind him, all he could see were Prince Siegbert and his girlfriend, Sophie, laughing and generally enjoying themselves.

He remembered Soleil's words to him earlier:; " _I'll be keeping my eye on you tonight_." Was she actually watching them? Was she watching _him_? The idea made Hisame swallow hard.

"Are you alright, my Prince of Pickles?" A quiet, concerned voice asked. Hisame turned to see Ophelia, her large blue eyes reflecting concern.

Hisame somehow manage to smile, albeit with strain. "I'm fine. Just… excited for the hot chocolate, is all!"

Ophelia blinked. "You? Of all people?"

Hisame swallowed. "O-of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

Ophelia stroked her chin, studying him. Her eyes felt as though they could see right through him for several, chilling moments. "Hmm…" She mused, but eventually shrugged it off, allowing Hisame to mentally breathe a huge sigh of relief.

However, that disturbing feeling that someone was watching him had not left just yet.

XXX

"Helloooooooo! Earth To *sniffle* Hisammmmmmmmme!" Nina called out, snapping Hisame out of his trance.

"H-huh?" He glanced around. He was sitting at a small, wooden table across from Nina, a warm drink in front of both of them. "Oh… Sorry. I was...distracted."

"By what? You looked… pretty zoned out." Nina let out a small gasp, "Were you thinking about Shiro? 'Cuz I'd be totally willing to sha-"

"G-gods no!" Hisame felt his cheeks go quite red with embarrassment. ' _I must have looked rather strange the past half-hour.'_

Nina raised an eyebrow, a devious smile spreading across her face. "You sure..?"

"I'm positive. Ophelia and I are quite happy."

"Okaaaayyyyy. But if you ever feel like...exploring, just let me know. 'Kay?"

Hisame almost rolled his eyes. "Where did our respective dates go, anyway?"

"They went out to get us some snacks. Remember?"

He seemed to remember something about that, though his mind had been far too preoccupied. "Oh… Right. I think I remember something about that…"

Nina's brow furrowed with concern, "Seriously, you okay, Hisame?" Her tone indicated the concern was genuine.

Hisame nodded, "Yeah. Just kinda...distracted I gue-" There! There she was! Just out of the corner of his eye, he could see Soleil walking around with her date, Caeldori. His eyes met with Soleil's for a brief moment. The girl gave a smug wink to him, before heading off somewhere with her date. He swallowed hard. "Just...distracted, yeah."

The outlaw checked where he'd been looking, and turned back. "Is Soleil harassing you?"

Hisame's eyes widened. "W-well, I wouldn't call it harassment, per se, but how would you know?"

"I saw you guys talkin' this morning. What'd she say to you?"

Hisame let out a large breath, "Just that she'd be keeping her eye on me tonight. Make sure that I wouldn't 'hurt' Ophelia."

"Why would you be worried about that?" Nina snorted, "You're a pretty cool guy."

"I'm not, especially after what Mrs. Nyx told me, but… I've just felt like she's been watching me all night."

Nina blinked. She looked like she was about to say something, before blinking again. She finally let out another small sneeze before asking, "So, you think Soleil's been spying on you?"

"I suppose that's one way of putting it."

"Soleil...spying…"

Hisame nodded.

Nina took a deep breath… "That is the most offensive thing I've heard in my life."

Now it was Hisame's turn to blink. "I'm...sorry?"

"Yeah, you better be! Gods! The idea that _Soleil_ could be a _spy_ would almost be hilarious if I wasn't so insulted. The girl's about as subtle as Nosferatu."

She had a point… Soleil was quite… Blunt. Not only that, but she was quite clearly preoccupied with Caeldori when they'd passed, smug little wink had seemed like a passing acknowledgement to an acquaintance than a threatening gesture. "Thank you, Nina."

"Huh? For what?"

"Showing me how foolish I've been… I can't believe I let Soleil get to me like that."

"Oh… Yeah… No problem."

The two smiled at each other, Nina's slightly sheepish, and Hisame feeling as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

XXX

Following an enjoyable snack, Hisame, Shiro, and Ophelia found themselves at the base of a large tree Nina was climbing. "Uh… You sure this is gonna hold all of us?" Shiro asked.

"Absolutely!" Nina called down, "I've seen Percy park Ace up here all the time!"

Shiro swallowed hard, and started up shakily after Nina, leaving Hisame and Ophelia alone. "Will you be alright up there, Hisame?" Ophelia asked.

Hisame nodded, "Absolutely. Will you?"

Ophelia nodded. "I've been up this tree many-a-time in the line of duty for Team Forrest. The view is positively wondrous in Winter."

"Glad to hear it. I'll let you lead the way then."

"I would be delighted." Ophelia started up the tree.

But just as Hisame was about to follow after her, he heard someone call to him. "Hey! Hisame!" It was Soleil.

"Um… One moment, Ophelia! Go on without me!" Hisame said before dashing over to Soleil. She held her shoulder tightly, and was looking down at the ground. "Good evening, Soleil," he greeted.

Soleil didn't even look up at him, kicking at the dirt. "H-hey…" She took a deep breath. "You goin' to watch the fireworks up there?"

Hisame nodded, "Would you like to join us?"

Soleil shook her head, "Nah… I just came here to apologize."

Hisame's eyes widened, "Oh, I see."

Soleil glanced up at him before looking back down at her boots, "Yeah… After I said all that, Oph's mom told me what a great guy you were."

' _Thank you Mrs. Nyx,'_ he thought.

"Would you… um… Forgive me? I really sorry I didn't tell you, earlier, too. I was just with Caeldori and…" A small blush came to Soleil's cheeks for a few moments. "Yeah. That was pretty lousy of me."

Hisame rubbed his chin. She had partially ruined his evening with that threat, though part of that was his own fault. "...I forgive you."

A small smile formed on Soleil's lips, "Thanks." She glanced behind her, "Well… I'd better get going. Hope you have a happy new year!"

Hisame nodded. "You as well. Are you sure you don't want to join us?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Caeldori said we could ride on her pegasus to look at the fireworks." Soleil's smile grew, "That's gonna be a BLAST."

Hisame smiled back, "I'm sure it will be. Hope you enjoy!"

With that, the two gave each other a small wave, and went their separate ways, never to see each other again for the rest of the year.


End file.
